


Together

by Stacy LA Stronach (slashgirl)



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M, jj/emily implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-27
Updated: 2007-12-27
Packaged: 2018-04-22 23:47:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4855271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashgirl/pseuds/Stacy%20LA%20Stronach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Together at Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together

"Wherever you may be it is your friends who make your world." - Unknown

The light from the fireplace spilled over the floor, intersecting at its furthest edges with the multi-coloured twinkling lights from the Christmas tree in the corner. The soft sounds of cheerful Christmas music provided a back ground to the conversations going on around the room. The tree and the rest of the room--in reality the rest of the house--was decorated festively for the holiday.

Aaron Hotchner leaned against the wall in his living room and surveyed his team—all of them here for dinner on the eve of Christmas Eve. The dinner was an annual event and even though Haley had filed for divorce, Hotch hadn't wanted to end the tradition.

Morgan's mother, Fran, and his two sisters, Sarah and Desiree, had arrived from Chicago on Friday as a surprise for Derek—they'd be flying back home tomorrow, Christmas Eve Day. When Hotch had found out, he'd told Morgan to bring his family to their get together.

Right now, Sarah was pushing Morgan out of the kitchen, saying something about not wanting to have to call the fire department. Again. Hotch smiled, making a mental note to ask about that later on. He watched as his brother, Sean, and Fran worked in the kitchen; the two of them had taken control of the kitchen to get the meal ready. They were getting some help from Rossi, who had brought his teenage daughter, Mia, with him.

Hotch was pleased that Dave seemed to be settling into the routine of the BAU, finally. Dave's return, had, for Hotch at least, taken some of the sting of Gideon's desertion away. He knew that Gideon's leaving had hit everyone on the team hard, but now that Dave had been with them for a while, things seemed to be going well.

It'd taken Dave a couple months to get used to how the BAU worked now, compared to how it had worked ten years ago. But Hotch had had faith in Rossi--the man was intelligent and a quick learner; of course, a few...lectures from Hotch had helped things along. Dave had also recommended a very good divorce lawyer--and Hotch had taken his advice.

Which was why Jack was here tonight and would be staying through until Christmas morning --he'd open some presents here with his father, have his breakfast and then Hotch would take him to Haley's parents house and drop Jack off. The Brooks had invited him to spend the day but Hotch had declined; he didn't think Haley was up to spending that much time around him right now.

He looked over at the sofa where his mother, Lilith, was sitting, holding onto Jack. He was busy playing with his Lego, with some help from JJ, who was sitting on his other side, and Prentiss, who was sitting on the floor. All three of the women were laughing at Jack's antics—and the boy was soaking up all that female attention. Hotch noticed the looks that passed between JJ and Prentiss--he'd suspected a relationship between them for a while, but the way they were with Jack...confirmed it for him. It also made him think that he might have an agent out on maternity leave sooner rather than later, but Hotch decided he'd worry about that when the request came across his desk.

Garcia, Desiree and Mia were busy setting the table—the three of them performing an intricate dance, weaving in and out as they put the cutlery and dishes in place. Hotch chuckled when they waved Morgan away, Garcia insisting that he would only get in the way. Morgan gave a dramatic sigh before going over to sit on floor in front of the sofa to help Jack play with his Lego.

Hotch watched Garcia closely for a moment and frowned as he thought of how close they'd come to losing her. When no family had shown up for her, Hotch had asked her about it; Garcia had explained her brothers were all single and all serving overseas in the military. She'd turned down Hotch's offer to try and get leave for at least one of them to visit her—she hadn't wanted special treatment and as she'd told Hotch--"The people I consider my family are here right now. I have everything I need."

Looking around, Hotch frowned. He didn't see Reid anywhere—then he noticed movement on the deck outside the kitchen. Walking through the kitchen, Hotch grabbed a sweater before going onto the deck to see if his lover was okay. They'd been together for a couple months and had let the rest of the team know about their relationship at Thanksgiving. That the team had taken it in stride (and none of them had been surprised by the announcement) had been a relief to both of them.

Hotch stood just outside the door for a few moments, watching his lover. The full moon was shining down, giving a bright glow to the snow that covered the yard and the trees. Hotch walked over and stood behind Reid. "Aren't you cold?" Hotch asked, wrapping his arms around him.

Reid turned his head and smiled, his hands covering Hotch's. "Nah, I'm okay, it's not that bad out here."

"Mmm. Your hands are cold," Hotch murmured, pressing his cheek against Reid's.

"Cold hands, warm heart."

Hotch chuckled as Reid turned around to face him. "You okay?"

Reid shrugged. "Yeah, just not used to so many people for Christmas. Needed some fresh air." He wrapped his arms around Hotch's neck, smiling when Hotch's arms tightened around him. "I just…miss my mom at Christmas time. Before she got really sick, she loved it—she'd go all out with decorations and stuff. We never had a lot of money for presents but we always had something. And for me, spending time with her was the best part. But once she got really sick…she hated Christmas. I never could figure out why…but that's why I wait until New Year's to fly out and see her. She gets so upset if I come out at Christmas time," Reid said quietly, pressing his face against Hotch's shoulder.

Hotch didn't speak but he raised his hand to stroke Reid's hair and pressed a kiss to his temple. After a few minutes, he brought his hand down to cup Reid's face. "I'm sorry, babe," he whispered. "But now we can make new memories, right?" Hotch asked with a small smile.

Reid smiled back and nodded. "Yeah, we can," he replied before leaning in to press a gentle kiss against Hotch's mouth. Staring at Hotch intently, he whispered, "I love you, Aaron."

"I love you, too, Spencer," Hotch whispered in return. He leaned forward and kissed Reid.

The sound of someone clearing her throat made them pull back, although they kept their arms around one another. They turned to see Fran in the doorway, smiling at them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but dinner's just about ready, guys. And I think Penelope will be awfully disappointed that you didn't do that under some of that mistletoe she put up," Fran said with a laugh and a wink.

Hotch chuckled. "I'm sure she will be," he said. As he and Reid walked hand in hand toward the house and the people inside, Hotch was grateful. After everything he and his team had been through this past year, all the pain and hurt and the loss, they had survived and grown stronger. That they bore more scars, be it physical or emotional, or both, there was no doubt. But they were here, now, and that was what mattered the most.


End file.
